Data Scraping
Updated: Nov 11
What is Data Scraping?
Data Scraping, also known as Web Scraping, is the act of extracting large quantities of data using automated software (AI) or programming tools.
Why Data Scraping?
The purpose of data scraping is to gather as much information as possible from web pages.
The scraped data is then converted into a structured format like spreadsheets or data base.
The converted data format is then used for analysis to aid decision making. These type of analysis include:
Market research
Trend analysis
Monitoring competitor activities ( Pricing, innovation, customer base etc)
Academic research
Journalism
Innovation research
Others
Data Scraping can very informative way of decision making.
The Shared Need To Know
Humans have a shared need to know. The need to know something.
The need to know drives people and organizations to search for relevant data in order make right decisions.
Organizations with resources invest in modern tools to enable automated data capture. Tools like AI are deployed to scrap data.
Data Scraping has its advantages and disadvantages.
Data Scraping Advantages include :
Aiding innovation
Knowledge transfer
Data Scraping Disadvantages include:
Copyright infringement
Privacy intrusion
Slowing down web pages
Denial of service
Written and posted by : Smith Ndila